Media MEMO
Publicity and media information for the 2010
Massachusetts women’s rowing team will be handled by Matt Houde. Photographs, meet results,
statistics and feature ideas are available from
the UMass Media Relations Ofﬁce. For coach and
player interviews please contact Houde in the ofﬁce at (413) 545-9672.

The 2010 University of Massachusetts women’s
rowing guide is a publication of the UMass Media
Relations Ofﬁce. The guide was written by Matt
Houde. Editing assistance provided by Jason Yellin, John Sinnett, Dave Gunn, and Jillian Jakuba.
Special thanks to Jim Dietz, Alex Binkowski, Laura Simon, and the Atlantic 10 Conference ofﬁce.
Photography by Thom Kendall. Special thanks also
to Kenny Santucci for his help with the video and
photography for the team. Printing by Register
Graphics, Randolph, N.Y.

13-Time Atlantic 10 Champions

1

With a 13th Atlantic 10 title under its belt, the UMass
Women’s Rowing team is back in the driver’s seat in
the Atlantic 10 Conference heading into the 2010
season. The Minutewomen reclaimed the conference
crown last season, defeating Rhode Island 141-117
while earning ﬁve gold medals and having four athletes named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference teams
in the process.
Coming off a successful fall season that saw UMass
compete in the 45th Head of the Charles Regatta on
the snowy Charles River in Boston, Head Coach Jim
Dietz is looking for the Minutewomen to build on the
success of the fall season and defend their Atlantic
10 title.
Dietz, currently in his 16th season at the helm of UMass
Rowing, will be inducted in the National Rowing Hall
of Fame in March and was recently named the Vice
President of USRowing.
UMass will commence its spring season with a scrimmage on the Connecticut River against the Coast
Guard Academy before traveling to Kingston, R.I. to
compete in the Yankee Cup. Following a race against
Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., the Minutewomen will
have three races in Camden, N.J. culminating in the
A-10 Championships.

2

Coach Dietz on his team’s annual preseason Florida
training trip:
We worked on trying to polish our technique and how
we apply our power, while also continuing to build our
base. Despite the cold weather, we logged more miles
than we ever had before. Where we are unique is that
we do so much work in small boats; you will never ﬁnd
that at most other schools. The boats are the ones that
really teach you the most about technique because
the balance is so acute.
The athletes have to think a lot more as they develop
their core strength. We take our athletes out of their
comfort zone by taking them out of the Eight Boat and
put them in the small boat. I had 14 singles out in a
row all down the lake, and we got to see the competitive nature of the athletes as some want to be in the
front and others fall to the rear.
A lot of personal responsibility comes in as part of
the training process in the small boats. They all make
quick strides in the small boats, and we really see it
when we get to the large boats. It makes me really optimistic this year going into the season. Most years I’ll
know my ﬁrst and second boats, but those decisions
are going to be much more difﬁcult to make this year.

Dietz on his two captains and the leadership that
they will provide:
I look to both Teresa O’Brien and Ana Tocco for a lot
for leadership because I have upward of 65 women on
the squad. The anchors of the program are really the
captains because they stay in touch with the team.
They identify who needs support, whether its training or with academic services. The motivation always
comes through our captains. The athletes are here to
get to their highest level, and we rely highly on the
captains. They actually have a job here, and they are
actually working.
Coach Dietz on the new Atlantic 10 points system
and his freshman class:
We might have to look at the freshmen a lot more since
the Atlantic 10 scoring has changed. In 2011, as we are
no longer an emerging sport, the NCAA mandated that
there will be automatic qualiﬁers in rowing, similar to
many other NCAA Tournaments. Therefore the Atlantic 10 will have to produce a team to go to the NCAA
Championships.
In 2011, the NCAA deﬁnes a team as two Eights and a
Four. So in the past where there were nine events that
we had to work the ﬁll, now the focus is just on three
of those events. Therefore freshmen who have the
ability to move to varsity boats will be looked upon to
move up. There are two or three freshmen that could
make the break and move up. Come March, depending
on their erg testing, there are three freshmen that
could possibly move up.
Dietz on which Atlantic 10 teams will pose a threat
to the Minutewomen this season:
The ones that are challenging the most are Rhode
Island and St. Joseph’s. They have sufﬁcient scholarships for their programs , they have really nice boat
houses, and they are drawing in really good athletes.
Those two teams will be the ones to give us the most
problems in the Atlantic 10.
Coach Dietz on being inducted into the National
Rowing Hall of Fame and what it means to the
UMass program:
For me, it’s the culmination of a lifetime of rowing,
and it’s basically for my athletic performance. For
the team, I think they’re very happy for me. There is
some credibility that comes with longevity, the ability
to turn out successful crews year after year, and a lot
of that is based on what I learned as an athlete.

Now in his 16th year at the helm of the University of Massachusetts women’s crew team, Jim Dietz has molded his program into one of the nation’s ﬁnest.
The only crew coach in UMass history, the Minutewomen
have dominated regular-season racing and have captured 13
Atlantic 10 team championships, including the 2009 crown, under Dietz’s direction. His squads have produced 54 Atlantic 10
gold medals in 14 league championship events, including nine
in 12 starts by his varsity eight boats. For his efforts, Dietz has
been honored as Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year on
seven occasions, the last of which came in 2005.
Dietz led the Minutewomen to their 13th conference title
in 2009, after ﬁnishing second in 2008 to Rhode Island. Massachusetts defeated the defending champions by 24 points in
last year’s Atlantic 10 Championships, 141-117. UMass took
ﬁve gold medals in the championships, highlighted by a ﬁrst
place ﬁnish in the Second Varsity Eight. In addition to the team
championship, three Minutewomen were named First Team AllConference.
Recognized internationally for his coaching ability, Dietz will
be inducted into the National Rowing Hall of Fame in March of
2010, and was also elected as the Vice Chair to the Board of
Directors of USRowing in February of 2010. He guided UMass
to a fourth-place team ﬁnish at the 1998 NCAA Championship
in Gainesville, Ga., and his varsity eights earned silver medals
at both the 1997 and 1998 NCAA meets. Six of his student-athletes have earned a total of seven Collegiate Rowing Coaches
Association All-America citations.
Dietz’s success does not end on the water, though, as his
program has produced a league-leading 32 Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference performers, 12 Collegiate Rowing Coaches
Association National Scholar Athletes who have earned a total
of 29 citations, and four U.S. Rowing Association Academic AllAmericans. In addition, his teams annually lead UMass’ Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll selections.
Before coming to Amherst to start the UMass program from
scratch, Dietz spent nine years as the head coach of the Coast
Guard Academy crew program (1985-1994). Though his primary responsibilities were with the men’s heavyweight eight, he
was also in charge of the overall program which included four
assistant coaches and over 90 student-athletes.
Dietz’s crew experience began in 1964, when he competed
for the New York Athletic Club in all classes of rowing and sculling events. As a high school student, he won all United States
and Canadian Scholastic championships in single and double
sculls from 1964 through 1967, and won the ﬁrst Junior World
Championship in single sculls at Ratzeburg, Germany, in 1967.
During his competitive years, Dietz won 45 United States
and 37 Canadian national championship titles. He was a member of almost every U.S. National Team from 1967-1983, including U.S. Olympic entries in 1972, 1976 and 1980. In addition, Dietz captured medals at the Pan American Games in

1967, 1975, 1979 and 1983. He was also a member of seven
World Championship teams.
A 1972 graduate of Northeastern University with a bachelor of science degree in marketing, Dietz has been inducted
into the Northeastern University Hall of Fame, as well as the
New York Athletic Club (NYAC) Hall of Fame. A Veteran Award
winner of the NYAC and a Power Ten Award winner of Manhattan, Dietz also earned the prestigious Athlete of the Quarter
Century honor for his past performances at the Head of the
Charles Regatta.
Since 1976, Dietz has been involved with the United States
Olympic Committee, and in both 1988 and 1992 he served as
the U.S. Olympic Quad coach in Seoul, South Korea, and Barcelona, Spain.
In 1987, Dietz founded the Thames River Sculls, a non-proﬁt
sculling center. Over the years, members of this program have
won numerous titles at the U.S. Scholastic championship and
U.S.R.A. Elite Nationals. Several members have gone on to
race for the United States on World and Olympic teams. The
Thames River/Pre-Elite women’s crews have participated in
the Nation’s Cup Regatta (under 23 World Champion- ships)
winning the 1996 meet in Belgium.
Dietz coached the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team in Sydney, Australia, taking the bronze medal in the women’s lightweight
double. In 1999, he coached the U.S. National Team, taking
medals at both the Pan American Games and the World Rowing Championships. In 2003, his women’s lightweight double
ﬁnished fourth at the World Championship in Milan, Italy.
Dietz, and his wife Pamela, reside in Amherst with their two
sons, James II (25) and Michael (22).

Dietz’s Career Highlights
• Has Won 13 Atlantic 10 Titles.
• Seven-time A-10 Coach of the
Year.
• Inducted into National Rowing
Hall of Fame in 2010.
• Elected as the Vice Chair to the
Board of Directors of USRowing
in 2010.
• In 1997 & 1998, both varsity
eights placed second at NCAA’s.
• Coached the 1988, 1992 and
2000 U.S. Olympic Teams.
• Member of the 1972, 1976 and
1980 U.S. Olympic Teams.

13-Time Atlantic 10 Champions

Alex

Laura
SIMON

BINKOWSKI
Assistant Coach
5th Season
Wayne State ‘86

Alex Binkowski is in his ﬁfth year at UMass as an assistant
coach. He has worked to develop the talent UMass has in
its novice program to move up and ﬁll slots on the varsity.
The novice boats have continued to race well and his fall
recruiting has resulted in one of the largest novice squads
in recent years.
He joined the program after a stint at Indiana University,
where he served as a volunteer assistant during the 2003
season. In 2001, Binkowski was a Women’s Junior National Team assistant coach. He coached the Junior Women’s
Single to a victory in the C-Final and 13th place overall at
the World Junior Rowing Championships in Duisburg, Germany. He then joined St. Ignatius College Prepatory School
as head coach/associate program coordinator for the 20012002 school year.
Binkowski joined the Oak Ridge Rowing Association and
worked as a volunteer coach with its nationally competitive
high school program after moving to Tennessee. He became
the head coach at Girls’ Preparatory School in Chattanooga,
where he tripled the size of the program and oversaw the
building of a new boathouse and dock. His GPS teams won
three consecutive South East Region Junior Women’s Points
Trophies and qualiﬁed multiple boats each year for the Youth
Invite. After completing a Master’s degree at the University
of Illinois, Binkowski began coaching the Kansas State University high school squad and soon took over the duties as
head coach for the collegiate team, where he helped revive
the club. While in Kansas, he also began sculling and joined
the Topeka Rowing Association/Washburn University team,
where he coached collegiate and high school athletes.
Binkowski began his involvement in rowing as a a member
of the last squad of varsity rowers at Wayne State University
from 1982 to ‘84, and capped his undergraduate career rowing in the varsity eight at Dad Vails to a fourth place ﬁnish.
As a member of the Detroit Boat Club, he earned four national championship medals competiting in the U.S. Rowing
Nationals in 1983 and 1984 in the Senior Eight, Senior Four,
Senior Lightweight Four, and Elite Lightweight Four.
Binkowski resides with his wife, Donna, and three children, Emma, Anastasia, and Shannon in Hadley, Mass.

Assistant Coach
6th Season
Massachusetts ‘98
Returning for the second time as a UMass assistant coach,
Laura Simon has accumulated experience at both the International, National and Division 1 levels of women’s rowing. With
an energetic and dynamic coaching approach, Laura has the
ability to develop the UMass team to a higher level. In addition to her coaching duties, she is also a Coxswain Education
Coordinator for The Foundation for Rowing Education and the
US Junior Team’s Coxswain Coach. Simon coached the U.S. Jr.
Team High Performance Team the summer of 2009 prior to being
named the US Junior Team’s Coxswain Coach starting in 2010.
Simon is a published author in the sport of rowing, co-authoring The Coxswain’s Encyclopedia. She also presents to her
peers at the US Rowing Annual Convention and smaller conferences on Coaching the Coxswain.
Prior to coming to UMass, Laura worked as a volunteer coach
for the Juniper Serra High School team from 2003 to 2006. During that time frame she was also the Head Rowing Coach and
Summer Coach for BIAC Masters Rowing. Laura’s ﬁrst time with
UMass rowing as an assistant coach stretched from 1999 to 2002,
in which she was responsible for the JV 8+ and Lightweight 8+.
In the summer of 2002, she was also on the coaching staff of the
US Women’s Worlds Rowing Team.
Laura’s athletic background includes acting as Varsity Coxswain from 1992 to 1995 as part of the UC-Santa Barbara Women’s Rowing Team. From 1995 to 1998 she was Varsity Coxswain
for the UMass team and won both 2nd place Varsity 8+ NCAA
titles during this time. From 1997 to 2002, she also acted as 2nd
Coxswain for the US National Women’s Rowing Team.
Laura graduated from UMass Amherst with her degree in
English in 1998 and went on to earn a Master of Education in
Teacher Preparation and Curriculum Studies from UMass in
2001. She achieved a Level 1 Special Education Credential from
San Jose State University in 2004. She lives in Hadley with her
dogs, Kio & Tsunami, who are boathouse regulars.

Andrea
MORAND

Graduate Assistant
1st Season
Massachusetts ‘09

Karen
Plevock

Graduate Assistant
1st Season
Massachusetts ‘09
Karen Plevock enters her ﬁrst season as a Graduate Assistant with UMass Rowing, where she will coach the novice
second and third boats. Plevock is a 2009 grad from UMass
where she was a four year member of the Minutwomen
squad. She was named a Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association National Scholar-Athlete following her sophomore,
junior and senior seasons.

Andrea Morand is in her ﬁrst season as a graduate
assistant, where she will coach the novice second and
third boats. Morand graduted from UMass in 2009, and
was a four-year letterwiner on the rowing team. As a
junior she was in the second varisty eight boat that ﬁnished ﬁrst at the Atlantic 10 Championships. Morand was
also a part of the second varsity eight boat that ﬁnished
second at the A-10 Championships, helping UMass win
its 12th consecutive conference title during her sophomore season.

13-Time Atlantic 10 Champions

5

Katelyn
ALLOCCO

Sophomore • 5-8
Summit, N.J.
Summit High

Fall 2009: Was part of the Varsity Eight
boat that ﬁnished third at the Head of
the Fish Regatta with a time of 12:41.32
... Member of the Varisty Eight boat that
advanced to the championship race, ﬁnishing 25th (18:16.967) at the Head of the
Charles Regatta in Boston ... Raced in one
of three Eights boats that placed seventh
with a time of 17:20.391 at the Head of
the Housatonic.
Before UMass: Graduated from Summit
High School in 2008 ... Was a member of
the school’s soccer, basketball, and track
and ﬁeld teams ... Earned the Coaches
Award for track as a senior.
Personal: Katelyn Marie Allocco ... Born
Nov. 9, 1989 in Summit, N.J. ... Daughter
of Dennis and Cathy Allocco ... Has one sister, Danielle, who is on the track team at
UMass ... An Economics major.

Kendell
BENNETT

Sophomore • 5-11
Stoughton, Mass.
Stoughton

Fall 2009: Was part of the Junior Varisty
Eight boat that ﬁnished third at the Head
of the Fish Regatta (13:16.85) ... Raced in
one of three Eights boats that placed tenth
with a time of 18:17.161 at the Head of
the Housatonic.
Before UMass: Was a 2008 graduate of
Stoughton High School ... Was a member
of the school’s ﬁeld hockey, basketball,
and softball teams ... Named team MVP
for basketball as a senior.

Em
CHIU

Emily
BOUCHER

Sophomore • 5-2
Yarmouth, Mass.
Dennis-Yarmouth
Regional

Sophomore • 5-5
Lee, N.H.
Oyster River

Fall 2009: Raced in one of three singles
boats at the Head of the Fish Regatta,
placing second with a time of 15:14.32 ...
Part of the Lightweight 8+ boat that ﬁnished eighth with a time of 18:42.843 at
the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston
... Member of one of three Eight Boats that
competed in the Head of the Housatonic.

Fall 2009: Coxswain for varsity four at
Head of the Housatonic and Head of the
Fish ... Coxswain for the novice eight “B”
at Head of The Fish.
Before UMass: Graduated from DennisYarmouth Regional High School in 2008.

Personal: Em Chiu ... Born July 20, 1990
Before UMass: Rowed for the Durham Boat in Hyannis, Mass. ... Majoring in PsychoClub for three years ... Competed in the linguistics.
2008 NEIRA’s and Club Nationals.

Jennifer
COYNE

Personal: Emily Boucher ... Born November 8, 1989 in Virginia to Phil and Penny
Boucher ... Has one sibling, Katherine ...
Majoring in Anthropology.

Ellis
BREWSTER
Junior • 5-11
Plymouth, Mass.
Plymouth North

Junior • 5-9
Brigantine, N.J.
Holy Spirit

Fall 2009: Member of one of two Fours
boats at the Head of the Fish Regatta, ﬁnishing third (15:01.790) ... Raced in one of
three Fours boats, ﬁnishing seventh with a
time of 18:45.486, and one of three Eights
boats at the Head of the Housatonic.

Fall 2009: Raced in one of two Quads that
ﬁnished ﬁrst with a time of 13:13.55 and
competed in a double at the Head of the
Fish ... Was part of a Double with teammate Jennifer Dolan that raced at the
Head of the Housatonic, ﬁnishing fourth
with a time of 24:48.226.

Before UMass: Rowed for Holy Spirit High
School for three seasons, earning varsity
letters following her junior and senior
years ... Earned a seat on her Varsity Eight
boat as a second year rower during her junior season ... Helped the Spartans to two
county titles during her junior and senior
Before UMass: A member of Cape Cod years while winning the State ChampionRowing during high school... also played ship during her senior season.
basketball for two years for her high
Personal: Jennifer Lee Coyne ... Born April
school.
9, 1989 in Philadelphia to Mark and Rita
Personal: Ellis Brewster ... Born Septem- Coyne ... Has one sibling, Elliott ... Majorber 24, 1988 ... Has one sister, Hannah, ing in Math and Interior Design.
who was a member of the UMass Rowing
team, graduating in 2007 ... Majoring in
Political Science.

Alexandra
DiMATTEO

Personal: Kendall Victoria Bennett ... A
Public Health major.

Bridget
CHISHOLM

Molly
BOGLE

Junior • 5-2
West Barnstable,
Mass.
Barnstable
Fall 2009: Coxswain for one of two
Fours boats and the Junior Varsity Eight,
which ﬁnished third (15:01.79) and third
(13:16.85), respectively, at the Head of
the Fish Regatta ... Coxswain for one of
three Fours boats and one of three Eights
boats at the Head of the Housatonic.
Before UMass: A member of her school’s
volleyball team for two years before joining Cape Cod Rowing during her sophomore year.

6

Personal: Molly Bogle ... Born August 5,
1989 ... A Nursing major.

Junior • 5-8
Plymouth, Mass.
Plymouth North

Fall 2009: Competed in the Fours race
at the Head of the Fish, ﬁnishing third
with a time of 14:19.20 ... Raced in one
of three Fours boats at the Head of the
Housatonic.

Junior • 5-9
Duxbury, Mass.
Duxbury

Fall 2009: Part of a Fours boat that placed
third (15:01.790) and the Varsity Eight boat
that ﬁnished third (12:41.32) at the Head
of the Fish ... Member of the Varsity Eight
boat that ﬁnished 25th (18:16.967) at the
Head of the Charles ... Rowed in one of
three Eight boats and ﬁnished ﬁrst in the
Doubles race with a time of 20:12.495 at
the Head of the Housatonic.

Before UMass: Rowed for Duxbury High
School for four years under coach Sara
Doucett ... Held the stroke seat in her junior and senior year ... Helped the Dragons
to third place ﬁnishes in the Massachusetts
State Championships during her junior and
Personal: Bridget O’Neil Chisholm ... Born senior seasons ... Also a member of the laJuly 3, 1989 ... Plans to major in Sociology crosse, swimming, and skiing teams while
in high school.
with a concentration in criminal justice.
Before UMass: Was a 2007 graduate from
Needham High School ... Rowed for Community Rowing Inc. during all four years of
high school.

Fall 2009: Raced in one of two Quads that
ﬁnished ﬁrst with a time of 13:13.55 and
competed in a Double at the Head of the
Fish ... Was part of a Double with teammate Ellis Brewster that raced at the Head
of the Housatonic, ﬁnishing fourth with a
time of 24:48.226.
Before UMass: Rowed for ﬁve years with
the Boston Latin Girls Crew team ... Won
two Varsity Eight competitions.
Personal: Jennifer Dolan ... A Psychology
and Sociology major.

Isabella
DONADIO
Junior • 5-8
Malnate, N.Y.
Lakeland Union

Fall 2009: Raced in the Junior Varsity
Eight boat that ﬁnished third with a time
of 13:16.85 at the Head of the Fish Regatta
... Was a member of one of three Fours
boats that placed seventh with a time of
18:45.486 and raced in one of three Eights
boats at the Head of the Housatonic.
Personal: Isabella Donadio ... Born May 24,
1989 ... Intends to major in Art History.

Megan
DONOVAN
Senior • 5-5
Orange, Mass.
Mahar Regional

Fall 2009: Made the lightweight plaque
with a time of 7:37.60 ... Rowed in the
Lightweight Eight and the Lightweight
Four that ﬁnished ﬁrst at the Head of the
Fish Regatta with a time of 15:70.54 ...
Raced in the Lightweight Eight that placed
eighth with a time of 18:42.843 at the
Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston ...
Competed in one of three Fours boats and
one of three Eights boats at the Head of
the Housatonic.
Before UMass: Earned six letters playing
soccer and basketball for the Mahar Regional Senators.
Personal: Meghan Elizabeth Donovan ...
Born September 20, 1988 in Greenﬁeld,
Mass. to William and Jean Donovan ... Has
two siblings, Tim and Lauren ... Majoring
in Kinesiology.

Fall 2009: Rowed in the Lightweight Eight
and Lightweight Four that ﬁnished ﬁrst
with a time of 15:70.54 at the Head of the
Fish Regatta ... Raced in the Lightweight
Eight that ﬁnished eighth with a time of
18:42.843 at the Head of the Charles Regatta ... Competed in one of three Fours
boats and one of three Eights boats at the
Head of the Housatonic.
Before UMass: Rowed for Agnes Irwin while
in high school under Coach Liz Bergen ...
Helped her team to the Inter-AC Championship during her junior season ... Earned
recognition as the most improved rower
following her junior campaign ... Was also
on the soccer, volleyball and swim teams
while in high school
Personal: Allison Lauren Donzanti ... Born
October 23, 1987 to Bruce and Sandra Donzanti ... Has one sibling, Dave ... Majoring
in Political Science and History.

Junior • 5-10
Weymouth, Mass.
Fontbanne
Academy
Fall 2009: Made the Lightweight plaque
with a time of 7:39.40 as well as the
2K plaque ... Raced in the Lightweight
Eight and one of two Quads that ﬁnished
ﬁrst with a time of 13:13.55 at the Head
of the Fish Regatta ... Competed in the
Lightweight Eight that ﬁnished eighth
(18:42.843) at the Head of the Charles ...
Raced in one of three Eight boats, one of
two Quads and a Lightweight Single at the
Head of the Housatonic.
Before UMass: A member of the Winnipesaukee Rowing Club in her junior and
senior year serving as the captain of the
team ... Was also a member of her high
schools volleyball, basketball, skiing, and
softball teams.
Personal: Elizabeth Euiler ... Born January
10, 1989 ... A Kinesiology major.

Amanda
DOOLIN

Kristin
GAHAGAN

Sophomore • 5-10
Duxbury, Mass.
Duxbury

Fall 2009: Rowed in one of three Fours
boats that ﬁnished third with a time of
15:01.790 and in the Varsity Eight boat
that placed third (12:41.32) at the Head
of the Fish Regatta ... Raced in the Openweight Eight that ﬁnished 25th with a time
of 18:16.967 at the Head of the Charless
... Competed in one of two Pairs boats and
one of three Eights boats at the Head of
the Housatonic.

Senior • 5-6
Winthrop, Mass.
Savio Prep

Fall 2009: Raced in the Fours boat that
ﬁnished 11th (15:46.92) at the Head of the
Fish ... Raced in a Fours boat and an Eights
boat at the Head of the Housatonic.
Before UMass: A member of the cross
country, basketball and softball teams.
Personal: Kristin Gahagan ... Born December 25, 1987 ... Majoring in Kinesiology.

Before UMass: Rowed for two years in high
school and was the Rookie of the Year in
2007 ... Helped Duxbury to a State Championship during her senior season and also
set the fastest team-time for the 5K ...
Also played soccer as a freshman, was a
member of the ski team for a year, and
swam in high school.

Emily
GROGAN

Sophomore • 5-7
Rochester, N.Y.
Fairpoint

Personal: Amanda Noelle Doolin ... Born Fall 2009: Raced in the Junior Varisty Eight
June 2, 1990 to Michael Doolin ... Has that ﬁnished third with a time of 13:16.85
three siblings, Mike, Erin and Brett ... A at the Head of the Fish.
Kinesiology major.
Before UMass: Captained her novice squad
of the Fairview Crew Club team in 2008,
helping them to State Championships in
both 2007 and 2008 ... Ran track in high
school ... Honored with the Presidential
Academic Award from 2006 through 2008.
Personal: Emily Grogan ... Born Oct. 8,
1989 in Bridgeport, Conn. to Steven and
Ann Grogan ... Has one brother, Andrew ...
Currently undecided in her major.

7
13-Time Atlantic 10 Champions

Emily
HAGAN

Junior • 5-6
Needham, Mass.
Needham

Spring 2009: Member of the 4+ that won a
silver medal at the A-10 Championships.
Personal: Emily Hagan ... Born August 12,
1988 ... Majoring in Business Management

Kristin
JONES

Senior • 5-9
Brockton, Mass.
Brockton

Fall 2009: Raced in one of three Fours
boats that ﬁnished 11th with a time of
15:46.92 at the Head of the Fish Regatta
... Competed in one of three Fours boats
at the Head of the Housatonic.
Personal: Kristin Jones ... Born March 11,
1988 ... A Kinesiology Major.

Meredith
KEARNEY

Junior • 5-5
Wilbraham, Mass.
Minnechaug

Fall 2009: Member of the Varsity Eight
boat that ﬁnished third with a time of
12:41.32 at the Head of the Fish Regatta
... Competed in the Openweight Eight
at the Head of the Charles, placing 25th
with a time of 18:16.967 ... Raced in one
of three Eights boats at the Head of the
Housatonic.
Before UMass: Attended Minnechaug Regional High School, where she was a member of her schools cross country, ski and
lacrosse teams

Amy
NASH

Junior • 5-5
Newton, Mass.
Newton North

Fall 2009: Competed in the Lightweight
Four that ﬁnished ﬁrst with a time of
15:70.54 and a Lightweight Eight at the
Head of the Fish Regatta ... Raced in
the Lightweight Eight at the Head of the
Charles, placing eighth with a time of
18:42.843 ... Was a member of one of
three Fours boats and one of three Eights
boat at the Head of the Housatonic.
Before UMass: Rowed for Community
Rowing, where she was a captain senior
year ... Placed fourth at th U.S. Rowing
Youth Nationals in the lightweight eight in
2006 and 2007 ... Represented the United
States at the CanAmMex regatta in Mexico
City in 2006.

CAPTAIN
Junior • 5-6
Worcester, Mass.
Doherty Memorial
Fall 2009: Raced as part of the Junior Varsity Eight that ﬁnished third with a time of
13:16.85 at the Head of the Fish Regatta
... Competed in one of two Pairs boats and
one of three Eights boats at the Head of
the Housatonic.
Before UMass: A member of her high
school’s rowing team for six seasons ...
Served as captain and won a state championship during her senior year... Placed
15th at Nationals... Also a member of her
soccer and swim teams.

Fall 2009: Raced in one of two Pairs boats
and one of three Eights boats at the Head
of the Housatonic.

8

Before UMass: A 2005 graduate of Lexington High School ... Competed in cross
country as well as varsity indoor and
outdoor track for shot-put and discus ...
Received Most Improved Player award for
indoor track in 2003.
Personal: Kathryn Kern ... Born July 23,
1987 ... A Math major.

Fall 2009: Competed in the Lightweight
Eight at the Head of the Fish Regatta ...
Raced in one of three Eights boats at the
Head of the Housatonic.
Before UMass: Was a four-year letterwinner in both skiing and rowing ... Captained the ski team as a junior and both
teams as a senior ... Also participated in
track and cheerleading.
Personal: Kimberly Mae Patrick ... Born
May 5, 1990 in St. Charles, Mo. to Leo and
Beth Patrick ... Has two siblings, Phil and
Sam ... Intends to major in Food Science.

Carly
PAYNE

Junior • 5-6
Longmeadow, Mass.
Longmeadow

Fall 2009: Coxswain of the Lightweight
Eight and the Lightweight Four that placed
ﬁrst with a time of 15:70.54 at the Head of
the Fish Regatta ...
Before UMass: Member of her high school’s
varsity ﬁeld hockey team as well as a the
indoor and outdoor track teams.
Personal: Carly Payne ... Born April 2, 1989
in Springﬁeld, Mass. to Stephen Payne and
Philippa Siegel ... Majoring in Accounting.

Fall 2009: Raced in the Junior Varsity
Eight boat that ﬁnished third with a time
of 13:16.85 at the Head of the Fish Regatta ... Competed in one of three Eight
boats at the Head of the Housatonic.
Before UMass: A 2008 graduate of Marshﬁeld High School, where she rowed for
two years.
Personal: Beth May Paret ... Born February 4, 1990 to Richard and Kathleen Paret
... An Art History Major.

Junior • 5-6
Byﬁeld, Mass.
Triton Regional

Fall 2009: Raced in the Varsity Eight boat
that ﬁnished third at the Head of the
Fish Regatta with a time of 12:41.32 ...
Competed in the Openweight Eight that
ﬁnished 25th at the Head of the Charles
with a time of 18:16.967 ... Raced in one
of three Fours boats that ﬁnished seventh
with a time of 18:45.486 and in one of
three Eights boats at the Head of the
Housatonic.
Before UMass: Was a member of the
Varsity Cheerleading and Track and Field
squads...was an All-State competitor for
Pole Vault in 2006...was also a member of
the National Honors Society.
Personal: Megan Rodgers ... Born May 8,
1989 ... Majoring in Civil and Environmental Engineering.

13-Time Atlantic 10 Champions

Kelsey
SCHACHTER
Junior • 5-8

West Barnstable,
Mass.

Ana
TOCCO

Robin
SNOEY

Junior • 5-8
Goshen, Conn.
Wamogo Regional

CAPTAIN
Senior • 5-9
Melrose, Mass.
Melrose

Barnstable
Fall 2009: Raced in a Fours boat that
came in third with a time of 15:01.790 and
in the Varsity Eight boat that placed third
with a time of 12:41.32 at the Head of the
Fish Regatta ... Competed in the Openweight Eight that ﬁnished 25th with a time
of 18:16.967 at the Head of the Charles
... Raced in a Fours boat that ﬁnished seventh with a time of 18:45.486 and in one
of three Eights boats at the Head of the
Housatonic.
Before UMass: Rowed starboard for two
years ... Won third place of Massachusetts
public schools her senior year.
Personal: Kelsey Schachter ... Born July 4,
1989 ... Majoring in Nutrition.

Samantha
SCHNOERR
Junior • 5-8
Norwalk, Conn.
Norwalk

Before UMass: Rowed for one year at
Northeastern University prior to coming to
UMass ... Rowed for three years at Wamogo
Regional High School under Coach Rodney
Meissner ... Also played ﬁeld hockey and
was on the swimming team in high school
... Was invited to the Girl’s Invitational as
a swimmer and won the tri-athlete award
following her sophomore, junior and senior seasons ... Won the Coaches Award
and was named the Most Improved Player
in ﬁeld hockey during her senior year.
Personal: Robin Snoey ... Born September
22, 1988 to Robert and Marga Snoey ...
Intends to major in Marketing and Communications.

Rachel

Before UMass: Coxswain for Maritime
Rowing Club for four years ... Placed second at the Head of the Charles and U.S.
Rowing Youth National Championships as a
senior ... Earned the U.S. Rowing Association Scholar Athlete Award as a senior.

Before UMass: Attended Quabbin Regional High School, where she graduated
in 2007.

Senior • 5-6
Bayville, N.Y.
Locust Valley

Fall 2009: Rowed in a Single and in the
Varsity Eight boat that ﬁnished third
(12:41.32) at the Head of the Fish Regatta
... Competed in the Openweight Eight that
placed 25th at the Head of the Charles with
a time of 18:16.967 ... Rowed in a Single,
placing ﬁfth (22:09.628) and in an Eights
boats at the Head of the Housatonic.
Before UMass: Transfer from Fordham University ... Competed in US rowing nationals in summer 2006 ... Rowed at the Head
of the Charles in 2004.
Personal: Samantha Smith ... Born November 26, 1986 ... Has four siblings ... An
Economics major.

Before UMass: Participated in soccer all
four years in high school ... Played soccer
for Providence College before transferring
to UMass ... Attended Melrose High School,
where she earned two letter in basketball
and four in soccer.
Personal: Ana Tocco ... Born February 5,
1988 to Michael and Paula Tocco ... Has
three siblings- Stefanie, Nicole and Micheline ... A Kinesiology major.

Chelsea
WAKEHAM

Junior • 5-6
Barre, Mass.
Quabbin Regional

Fall 2009: Raced in the Varsity Eight boat
that ﬁnished third with a time of 12:41.32
at the Head of the Fish Regatta ... Competed in the Openweight Eight boat that
placed 25th at the Head of the Charles
with a time of 18:16.967 ... Raced in one
of three Eights boats at the Head of the
Housatonic.

Samantha
SMITH

Spring 2009: Went undefeated during the
season in the Lightweight 4+ ... Captured
the silver medal at the Dad Vail Regatta ...
Set the course record in Camden, N.J. at
the Atlantic 10 Championships.

SPIELBERG

Fall 2009: Coxswain for the Varsity Eight
boat that ﬁnished third with a time of
12:41.32 at the Head of the Fish Regatta
... Coxswain for the Openweight Eight that
ﬁnished 25th at the Head of the Charles
with a time of 18:16.967 ... Coxswain for
one of three Eights boats at the Head of
the Housatonic.

Fall 2009: Raced in the Head of the Charles
in the Lightweight 8+ boat, and made the
2K plaque with a time of 7:35.30

Personal: Rachel Spielberg ... Born May
5, 1989 to Arnold and Pamela Spielberg ...
Has one sibling- Samantha ... Majoring in
Animation.

Jessica
STERN

Junior • 5-7
Pelham, N.Y.
Pelham Memorial

Fall 2009: Raced in one of two Quads
and in the Lightweight Eight at the Head
of the Fish Regatta ... Competed in the
Lightweight Eight that ﬁnished eighth at
the Head of the Charles with a time of
18:42.843 ... Raced in a Lightweight Single,
one of two Quads, and one of three Eights
boats at the Head of the Housatonic.
Before UMass: Rowed for two years in high
school ... Helped her team place sixth in
the state championship her junior year ...
Received a rowing gold medal in the girls’
varsity 4+ race her senior year.
Personal: Chelsea Leigh Wakeham ... Born
February 2, 1989 to Edwin and Pat Wakeham ... Intends to major in Psychology
with a minor in Education.

Sophomore • 6-1
Concord, Mass.
Concord Carlisle

Fall 2009: Competed in the Dartmouth
Novice Head.
Before UMass: Graduated from ConcordCarlisle High School in 2008, where she
played varsity basketball for four years
and won two varsity letters for volleyball
... Leading scorer, team captain and allstar in basketball and recipient of the Unsung Hero award in volleyball during her
senior year.
Personal: Jessica Lauren Stern ... Born
November 10, 1989 in Concord, Mass. ...
Daughter of Jim and Joanne Stern ... Has
two siblings, Sam and Zach ... Majoring in
Communications with a minor in English.

13-Time Atlantic 10 Champions

9

During winter break, the Minutewomen head to Deland,
Florida to begin training for the spring season.

The annual ten-day trip on
the St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s River gives the
team a chance to work on
sculling and sweep rowing to
improve technique and
performance.

The trip concludes with a coxswainsingles race in which the coxswains
race each other in single boats.

The 1871 Club was established to recognize the on-the-water accomplishments of the men and
women who have taken their pursuit of rowing excellence beyond the University of Massachusetts
Crew. The name is derived from the ﬁrst crew to represent the Massachusetts Agricultural College in
collegiate athletic competition in 1871.
To gain induction, a rower is required to be named to the United States National Rowing Team or
have a victory in a senior or elite National Championship event. In the 30 years since the ﬁrst member
was inducted, the club has grown to include Olympians and a World Champion. We are proud of their
efforts and accomplishments and hope they continue on their chosen path of hare work, humility and
dedication